Men's Track & Field

Track and Field Splits Up to Compete at Penn State and George Mason this Weekend

Junior Yao Adantor

Jan 24, 2013

BALTIMORE – For the first time this
indoor season, the UMBC track and field team will split up in order
to participate in two meets. An elite group of Retrievers whom
have met high qualifying standards will travel to back to State
College, Pa. for the Penn State National Invitational while the
bulk of the team will head to Northern Virginia for the George
Mason Patriot Games. The two-day Penn State meet kicks
off on Friday, Jan. 25 and runs through Saturday with the Patriot
Games taking place only on Saturday.

A trio of school record holders lead the Retrievers back to Penn
State. Seniors Cameron McDearmon (Owings
Mills, Md./Franklin) and Trae
Proctor (Brandywine, Md./Thomas Stone) head the men's
contingent with sophomore Mercedes Jackson (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown)
pacing the women.

McDearmon, who set the school record in the weight throw last
year at the Lafayette/Rider Winter Game with a toss of 18.83m
(61'9.50"), earned his first win of the season at last week's
Terrapin Invitational. The senior bested the field with
a heave of 18.38m (54'7.50") and gained a spot at the IC4A meet in
March.

Joining McDearmon in the throws, newcomers Yao
Adantor (Laurel, Md./Reservoir/Morgan St./Maryland)
and Thor
Serafenas look to improve upon season-bests set
last week in Landover. Adantor recorded a new weight throw
best with a distance of 15.99m (52'5.50") while Serafenas set new
bests in both events.

Senior Amanda Deller (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) will
represent the women in the throwing circle. The three-time
indoor shot put champion currently holds the top toss in the
conference (13.87m; 45'6.25") in the event and ranks third in the
weight throw (15.80m; 51'10.00").

Also in the field events, senior Shioma
Obemeata (New Rochelle, N.Y./Iona Prep/St. Francis) looks
to break the 49-foot mark in the triple jump after leaping a
career-best 48'3.25" (14.71m) at the Gotham Cup two weeks ago.

On the track, Proctor continued his hot form in the 60m hurdles
last weekend, once again finishing in under eight seconds (7.99) en
route to a second place finish. Two weeks ago at the
Gotham Cup, the two-time America East indoor champion became the
first Retriever to ever go under the eight-second mark with a new
school record time of 7.89, which also ranks as the top time in the
conference this season.

Leading the women, Jackson has won the 60m dash three times
already this season. In addition, she broke her own
school record in the event which stands at 7.42 after winning at
the Penn State Relays.

Also a conference top-time holder, senior Dennison
Long (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt/FIU) returns to the
Keystone State behind a season-best time of 6.88 which he set on
the same Penn State track. This past weekend he earned a
fourth place finish at the Terrapin Invite.

In the mid-distance, junior Kirsten
Jones (Brentwood, Tenn./M.L.K Magnet) ranks in the
top-five in the America East in the 200, 400, and 500m events
already this year. Teammate Paulette Fogle (Washington, D.C./Bishop McNamara)
sits just ahead of Jones in the 200 and 400 while holding a top-20
spot in the 800m.

Reigning America East Track Athlete of the Week Andrew
Smith (Chadds Ford, Pa./Garnet Valley) also heads to Penn
State, this after winning the 800m run in a conference-best time of
1:54.66. Junior Cody
Mezebish (Westminster, Md./South Carroll) and
sophomore Sarah Daly (Lake Orion, Mich./Lake Orion)
pace the women after both earning top-ten finishes in the event at
the Terrapin Invite.

Heading to Northern Virginia, freshman Vincent
Rentzsch (Oranienburg, Germany) will continue his
preparation for the multi-event competition at the conference
meet.

Meanwhile, freshmen Nneoma
Edokobi (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery) and Jennifer Nelson (Plainfield, Conn./Plainfield)
will feature in the circle for the Retrievers.